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The few weeks after my college graduation were unlike any other time in my life. All of a sudden I went from every minute of my time planned to not really having any pressing responsibilities besides sending out job applications and making sure I had enough snacks to plow through the DVR that had gone untouched the past few months. It was an odd change of pace after I wrapped up a fairly ambitious undergraduate career.

My post-graduation adventures

I kept a very busy schedule for two reasons. For one, I’m blessed but mostly cursed with the feeling that I always should be working on something productive. Secondly I wanted to make the most of my time in college to set myself up for a successful career. I took the advice of my father to “study what you love” and started out as a psychology major. After taking an Intro to Sociology course at the beginning of my junior year I discovered I had an equal if not greater passion for this field. I decided to take an overload of credits my final two years to finish with dual degrees. I also became heavily involved with several social science research labs because that is what I was told I should do in my field.

However, with all the hours I was putting in to get the most out of my degree, something was missing. After graduation there was nothing on my resume would make my phone ring off the hook with fulfilling and lucrative job offers. It seemed as though I spent my time in college trying to chop down a tree using a sledgehammer, when all along an ax would be much more efficient.

A More Effective Path

My alma mater has apparently come to realize many graduates felt this way. This year they launch the Office of Experiential Education and Civic Engagement (OEECE) so that undergraduates can gain more hands-on experience in their respective fields before entering the workforce. According to its website, the OCEECE’s mission is to enrich undergraduate education at Kent State University through fostering unique approaches to learning within the classroom and more actively engaging students in the community, as well as promoting strong relationships among academic studies, career exploration and community involvement.

The last two parts of this statement display the potential of this program. Many students select a major based on what they find interesting, assuming something will fall into place and they will have a desirable job after they graduate. Students who earn a degree in philosophy, history, religion, etc., can explore possibilities and have a better understanding of how to pursue a satisfying occupation once they graduate. The OCEECE can put them in a place to be more deliberate with how they pursue a career, rather than getting out of college after four (or five or six) years and ask “What now?”

Making Its Mark

Community involvement is where the OCEECE can really make its mark. Undergraduates can go out and get a feel for what lies ahead and how they should narrow their focus. They can go out and get their hands dirty and develop the skills they will need to contribute to their future employers. Most importantly, they will build their resume with practical experience that displays how they can hit the ground running and set them apart from the overwhelming sea of applicants.

Will the OCEECE work?

The ultimate mark of success for the OCEECE is simple. Help ambitious undergraduates to stop spinning their wheels and give them the opportunity to stand out.